Online tools enhance PGA spectator experience at home

Flocks of golf fans converge on Whistling Straits in Sheboygan County on the first day of week long PGA Championship events.
Justin Kabbes/Gannett Wisconsin Media

The Marquee Group Shot-By-Shot on PGA.com will use laser-generated data to provide a graphical display of the shot-by-shot performance for each player over all 18 holes at Whistling Straits.(Photo11: Courtesy of Turner Sports)

Unlike most televised sports, the majority of a live golf tournament never makes it on air, but for the golf enthusiast looking for more, the PGA has an unprecedented level of digital coverage online to bolster the fan experience.

Live video feeds from the championship on PGA.com will be entirely separate productions from televised content on TNT and CBS, and there will be a bevy of other digital tools on the official website and digital apps to give fans an in-depth view of the championship.

“Unlike watching a football game or a basketball game, where you can see everything going on, the vast majority of a golf tournament never makes it on air,” Gary Treater, manager of PGA.com, said. “When we cover the tournament from a digital perspective, we not only look at what we can provide the consumer from a video perspective, but how we can tell them what’s going on around the golf course that maybe isn’t part of our live video production.”

The PGA website, managed by Turner Sports, and official iOS and Android apps will provide comprehensive digital coverage throughout the week built around PGA Championship Live, which features live video of marquee groups each day, live video of the par-3s at Whistling Straits, media center interviews, and direct access to the television broadcasts.

“Our flagship feature is what we call Marquee Group,” Treater said. “We tried to create a second-screen experience that is different from the broadcast in that you can watch an entire group from teeing off on the first tee all the way through to experience that whole round. We give (the viewer) a lot of detail that you don’t get in the TNT or CBS broadcast. It is designed to be a complement.”

The online and mobile websites also include video highlights and interactive content, such as editorial coverage, social integrations, live scoring, photo galleries, and interactive data visualizations to enhance the experience for the golf enthusiast watching from home.

“We look at it that someone is watching TV and maybe has their desktop, laptop or tablet and is maybe watching the Marquee Group. They can also use our digital tools to go deeper into our leaderboard,” Treater said. “It’s a lot of supporting content for the fan who wants to go deep and really see the behind the scenes things.”

The digital content is a separate production from the televised broadcast, with approximately 50 to 60 people producing live content on the course and another 20 to 30 people working on the back-end of the website and app in Atlanta, according to Treater.

“All total there is probably 100 people producing all the digital content for the championship,” he said.

Fans also will be able to view simulcast broadcast coverage of the tournament from TNT and CBS via PGA.com. TNT’s coverage will require viewers to log in using information from their TV service provider. CBS’ coverage on Saturday and Sunday will not require a separate log in.

Viewers with Samsung smart televisions will have access to the PGA Championship TV App, which will feature exclusive 4K video vignettes throughout the tournament.

Expanded features for the telecast will include other new technologies, such as total motion swing analysis, a slow-motion camera that delivers a point of view for swing analysis, and Golf Trax, technology that utilizes laser-generated data to provide fans a virtual tour of the course along with an aerial view of a golfer’s ball direction.

“If you miss coverage, you can go back and see the shots that were hit overlaid on a graphic representation of the hole,” Treater said.

TNT will televise 18 hours of live coverage as Jordan Spieth attempts to become the first golfer since Tiger Woods (in 2000) to win three major championships in one year, according to Turner Sports.

“The PGA Championship continues our goal to deliver the most fan-friendly experience in major championship golf,” PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua said in a news release. “The technology applications are exciting this year, offering a wide spectrum of enhancements for our loyal fans. It all contributes to what we anticipate to be another memorable Championship.”

The television broadcast will include digital enhancements, such as the use of live drone footage for the first time. The drone cameras will fly over the lake, not near spectators, and be used for unique video of Whistling Straits’ picturesque holes along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

“What it gives us is a unique perspective to showcase the amount of crowds and the beauty of the course,” Matt Kane, a golf producer with Turner Sports, said. “I think it will be a really cool perspective. This is a unique, fitting venue with the water and the dunes. I think it will look great on tv.”

The drone will be able to shoot video of holes No. 8 and No. 17 and tee shots from Nos. 18 and 19.

TNT’s coverage will include six hours each day on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 13-14, from 1-7 p.m., along with live coverage of the third and fourth rounds on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15-16, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. CBS will have coverage on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15-16, from 1 to 6 p.m.